When starting a new business, there are many challenges that an entrepreneur must face. If you want to have a fighting chance of surviving in the business world, there are some characteristics you must possess. Businessourway.com has composed a list of the characteristics that we think are the most important. Entrepreneurs are not born, they are made. So if you are planning on becoming an entrepreneur, you will want to master the following characteristics:
1. Tenacity: An entrepreneur should be tenacious! As an entrepreneur you have to be able to take a stand and hold to your dreams. Even when you are faced with all the naysayers and doubters. When you have heard ninety nine no’s you still have to have that same zeal you had when you started. Remember this is your journey and this is your dream, so you have to make people believe in it. This characteristic is kind of a blessing and a curse. Being tenacious is a must for an entrepreneur, but when one is tenacious about a certain thing it is hard to change their mind, even if they are wrong. So when one has tenacity, they must also be wise with it.
2. Vision: Can you be an entrepreneur without vision? All leaders must have vision. It is a reason business owner’s say “chase the vision not the money”! Business is not the only field one should posses vision. How can you lead and don’t know where to go. All great things start with a Vision, whether it is to get a college degree, or to start a family, you must have a vision first. Proverbs 29:18 says “Where there is no vision, the people perish”. I say where there is no vision, the business will perish!
3. Hustle: As a new startup you almost have to force your way into your industry, because most of your competition has a head start on you. A quick way to catch up is to out hustle them. You bring new energy to the industry and that is what you have to your advantage, so use it. You have to out network the competition, you have out do them in almost everything to get your shot. Be aggressive and go get what you want, to do this you have to be a hustler!
4. LOVE: This characteristic may seem odd, but as a business owner you better love what you do. You have to have a passion for business and what you do, because at first, the money may not roll in how you expect it to. Just think of a marriage that has fallen on hard times, what keeps people in marriages that are on hard times; most of the time it is love. So you have to be able to weather the storm, and that will be hard to do if you hate or don’t enjoy what you are doing. Lots of companies have the same concept, they sell the same things, and so why is one more successful than the other? One answer is the company that is most successful has put a little more time and care into their company than the other via LOVE!!!
5. Risk Taker: Everybody has the big idea. Everybody wants to be their own boss, everybody has the big talk about starting a business, so what’s the problem? People are scared to take risks. You can’t be successful, make money, or even be happy if you don’t take risks. You can’t be afraid to fail. If you do just get back up and try again. Most of the time if you failed, you learn from it, and you come back better and improved. There are countless stories of entrepreneurs that have taken risk and failed, and they come back and take risk again and succeed. So yes you have to be a RISK TAKER!
By: Barry Roberson
